Apple’s latest attack on Qualcomm could be bad news for Android manufacturers

And the fight between Apple and Qualcomm just won another episode. Apple is now accusing the rival of infringing eight patents it owns to use them in the manufacture of Snapdragon processors, which equip mobile devices.

Apple’s patents would be related to processor battery consumption, and the Cupertino company accuses Qualcomm of using these technologies on Snapdragon 800 and 820 processors, which, while not launching, are part of the high-end smartphone hardware launched between 2015 and 2016.

The new accusation enters the “roll” of a long judicial battle between the two companies. While the chipset maker accuses Apple of violating six of its patents, trying to get the iPhones sale banned, Apple continues to defend itself and counterattack, saying it has begun to develop technologies that reduce battery consumption by part of processors long before Qualcomm, which denies the new charges.

The prosecution may hamper the fabrication of devices with Android

Unless the two companies enter into some kind of agreement on Apple’s new charge, the device market with Android may feel a nuisance. Although the two processors that use the technology that supposedly belongs to Apple are not being used in top-of-the-line devices today, the chips are still used to manufacture intermediate smartphones.

If the new fight does indeed reach the courts, it may take years before the final verdict is declared, causing these processors not to be used in the making of mobile devices until then. That is: manufacturers will have to find alternative chips, which may have inferior quality or power. Or, still opt for more modern processors, which increase the final price of the device to the consumer.